Tenants left behind credit card debt.

[sitti]

My employee brought me a letter addressed to formal tenants, Australian couple, rented a room at one of our properties. They lived in Thailand for several years and I believe they already returned home months ago. The letter is a collection for their credit card debt. They left behind owing SCB over 200,000 baht. This is exactly why things keep getting harder for foreigner to apply the credit card.

Of course, we are not resposible for their debt in any way. And I don't expect anything would happen but I think I will trying sending this letter to the address they wrote on the Lease Agreement.

[RKASA]

If the bank wants their forwarding address let them send a formal request to you for it first. As you said the letter is addressed to the former tenants and not you anyway so why was it even opened? I would send it back to the post office - tenants have moved to xyz and forget about it. The last thing I would worry about is foreigners and credit cards they can or can't get in Thailand.

[Bullie]

OP seems to suggest that there is a tendency amongst foreigners to incur creditcard debts which they then consequently not pay. I strongly object to this racist and biggotted way of thinking.

On the other hand, Thai people would ofcourse NEVER default on any debt due, that goes without saying.

Apart from anything else, opening mail adressed to someone else is (in my country, atleast) punishable with a lengthy jailterm.

[MYKTHEMIN]

Happens all over the world, not just here.

[Langsuan Man]

Somebody at SCB has got some explaining to do, on how a farang couple were able to obtain that much unsecured debt but that is not the OP's problem or concern

[KittenKong]

I thought credit cards in Thailand required a corresponding security deposit?

[ezzra]

Somebody at SCB has got some explaining to do, on how a farang couple were able to obtain that much unsecured debt but that is not the OP's problem or concern

Easy, in fact very easy, once you have a WP and you show that you're gainfully employed with

regular salaries and some money in the bank, from there to get a credit card is very short..

[steven100]

" My employee brought me a letter addressed to formal tenants, Australian couple, rented a room at one of our properties. They lived in Thailand for several years and I believe they already returned home months ago. The letter is a collection for their credit card debt. They left behind owing SCB over 200,000 baht. This is exactly why things keep getting harder for foreigner to apply the credit card. "

Sitti , what's the point of your post ? It's none of your business what mail belongs to whoever ... the correct thing to do is just write ' return to sender & not at this address ' and give it to the post office.

I'm glad I'm not staying at one of your properties , my mail is my mail ... not yours.

Edited November 16, 2014 by steven100

[Norrad]

Wait, isn't it illegal to open mail that isn't addressed to you?

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[Petchou]

You should never open mail that doesn't belong to you. It is none of your business first and somewhere else you can be brought to court for this action.

[sitti]

Under this circumstance it is legal to open any debt or bill related letter. So we can notify SCB that this address is a property for lease, debtors were tenants, we are not responsible for their debt, so bank will stop any further attempts to collect the debt at our property.

Why this thread? Because they visit thaivisa. Chances are they are reading this.

[SheungWan]

I don't know whether this applies in Thailand, but in the UK years ago if you applied for credit from an address that previous tenants had left a record of bad credit, this counted against you.

[theoldgit]

I don't know whether this applies in Thailand, but in the UK years ago if you applied for credit from an address that previous tenants had left a record of bad credit, this counted against you.

That changed in the UK some years ago, debts from previous owners/tenants, or even family members, can no longer be linked to you.

[gerry123]

good job the Thai banks have not adopted that system as i think it would reduce the success rate of obtaining a credit card would be very greatly reduced based on bad credit formula

[dean008]

I had a flat in the UK which was rented to a Chinese couple. Shortly after they left the letters started coming. They owed about £50,000 on various credit cards. I called the credit card companies and told them the situation and offered them copies of the debtors passports but they declined and said "let it just progress", So a year later it continues to progress the debt collectors continue to write and continue to threaten legal action and one credit card company even offered to reduce the bill from £20,000 to £2000 if they paid within a month. I off course called the debt collectors and recounted my conversation with the credit card country, the debt collectors wanted the passport info which by then I no longer had. The letters have since stopped

Theft/fraud results in higher costs whatever the nationality of the perpetrator.

[Norrad]

Under this circumstance it is legal to open any debt or bill related letter.

Actually no. Bills and financial mail are even more protected by law in Thailand. It's to protect people from identity theft more than privacy over here, cases have been brought to court and prosecuted. The only correct way to deal with it is to cross out the address and write a polite note somewhere on it explaining that the addressee no longer resides there, then place it into any of those red postal collection points that you all over.

I know this because I ordered an item from Hong Kong that due to delays, was delivered after I had moved out of my previous apartment. The apartment management opened the package and I am sure took part of the item, or at least there was a part missing. When I reported it to the police they told me that, because I couldn't prove that the part was actually in the parcel, I should rather lay a case for mail tampering. They told me that if there were any bills in the parcel, with personal details, contact details and information on how I paid, then it would be a very serious crime.

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[Time Traveller]

You shouldn't be reading other people's mail. Not only is it an invasion of privacy, it's illegal. And I don't see what interest it is of yours anyway. It's a matter for the bank and their customer. In fact it's illegal for the creditor to discuss the debt with 3rd parties without authorization from the debtor. Mind your business and let the debt collectors do their jobs.

Edited November 19, 2014 by Time Traveller